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warm

American  
[wawrm] / wɔrm /

adjective

  • warmer,
    comparative
  • warmest
    superlative
  1. having or giving out a moderate degree of heat, as perceived by the senses.

    a warm bath.

    Synonyms:
    heated, tepid, lukewarm
    Antonyms:
    cool
  2. of or at a moderately high temperature; characterized by comparatively high temperature.

    a warm oven; a warm climate; a warm summer.

    Antonyms:
    cool
  3. having a sensation of bodily heat.

    to be warm from fast walking.

    Antonyms:
    cool
  4. conserving or maintaining warmth or heat.

    warm clothes.

  5. (of colors) suggestive of warmth; inclining toward red or orange rather than toward green or blue.

  6. characterized by or showing lively feelings, passions, emotions, sympathies, etc..

    a warm heart; warm interest.

    Synonyms:
    ardent, emotional, fervid, fervent, enthusiastic, hearty
  7. strongly attached; intimate.

    warm friends.

    Synonyms:
    close, friendly
  8. cordial or hearty.

    a warm welcome.

    Synonyms:
    fervent
    Antonyms:
    aloof, unfriendly
  9. heated, irritated, or angry.

    to become warm when contradicted.

    Synonyms:
    furious, irate, vexed, annoyed
  10. animated, lively, brisk, or vigorous.

    a warm debate.

    Synonyms:
    vehement
    Antonyms:
    boring, lethargic
  11. strong or fresh.

    a warm scent.

  12. close to something sought, as in a game.

  13. uncomfortable or unpleasant.

    His opponents made things so warm that he decided to quit.

  14. British Informal. well off; in easy circumstances.


verb (used with object)

  • warms,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • warmed,
    past participle,  past
  • warming
    present participle
  1. to make warm; heat (often followed byup ).

    to warm one's hands; to warm up a room.

  2. to heat or cook (something) for reuse, as leftovers (usually followed by over orup ).

    to warm up yesterday's stew.

  3. to excite enthusiasm, ardor, cheerfulness, or vitality in (someone).

    The wine soon warmed the company.

    Synonyms:
    arouse, rouse, stir, waken, excite, animate
  4. to inspire with kindly feeling; affect with lively pleasure.

    It warms my soul to hear you say that.

  5. to fill (a person, crowd, etc.) with strong feelings, as hatred, anger, or zeal.

    Restrictions had warmed the crew to the point of mutiny.

verb (used without object)

  • warms,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • warmed,
    past participle,  past
  • warming
    present participle
  1. to become warm or warmer (often followed byup ).

    The room will warm up when the fire gets going.

  2. to become ardent, enthusiastic, animated, etc. (often followed by up orto ).

    The speaker quickly warmed to her subject.

  3. to grow kindly, friendly, or sympathetically disposed (often followed by to ortoward ).

    My heart warms toward him.

noun

  1. Informal. a warming.

    Sit by the fire and have a nice warm.

verb phrase

  1. warm down. see warm-down.

  2. warm up. see warmup.

idioms

  1. warm the bench, to serve as a substitute who rarely plays in a game.

    The young outfielder warmed the bench for the Yankees last season.

warm British  
/ wɔːm /

adjective

  1. characterized by or having a moderate degree of heat; moderately hot

  2. maintaining or imparting heat

    a warm coat

  3. having or showing ready affection, kindliness, etc

    a warm personality

  4. lively, vigorous, or passionate

    a warm debate

  5. cordial or enthusiastic; ardent

    warm support

  6. quickly or easily aroused

    a warm temper

  7. (of colours) predominantly red or yellow in tone

  8. (of a scent, trail, etc) recently made; strong

  9. near to finding a hidden object or discovering or guessing facts, as in children's games

  10. informal uncomfortable or disagreeable, esp because of the proximity of danger

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (sometimes foll by up) to raise or be raised in temperature; make or become warm or warmer

  2. to make or become excited, enthusiastic, etc (about)

    he warmed to the idea of buying a new car

  3. to feel affection, kindness, etc (for someone)

    I warmed to her mother from the start

  4. (tr) to give a caning to

    I'll warm you in a minute

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. informal a warm place or area

    come into the warm

  2. informal the act or an instance of warming or being warmed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
warm More Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing warm


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future


Etymology

Origin of warm

First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective werm, warm, wearm(e), Old English wearm; cognate with German warm, Old Norse varmr; akin to Latin formus “warm,” Greek thermós “warm,” Sanskrit gharmá- “heat,” Avestan garəma “hot,” Old Prussian gorme “heat,” Armenian ǰerm “warm”; the verb is akin to the adjective; the noun is derivative of the verb


Vocabulary lists containing warm

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

On several occasions in the last five years the high nutrient levels and warm temperatures have combined to cause algal blooming turning parts of the lake a lurid green.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Earnings at Mowi’s Canadian operations were wiped out last year after record warm seawater led to a “significant mortality incident.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Thirty minutes before: Toast the sourdough, warm the muffins and arrange the shelf-stable crunchy toppings.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

Normally, trade winds blow east to west along the equator, pushing warm water from South America toward Asia, while cold water rises from the depths to replace it.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

One warm evening during his visit we were all sitting around the dining room table.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Scientists have found that fin whales are more abundant in higher latitudes in warmer months of the year, and more numerous in lower latitudes during colder months, but this can vary.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Santa Anas typically arrive in the fall, and the next three months are likely to be warmer than normal across California, according to the latest seasonal outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

Although Antarctica's geography allows winter sea ice to expand over enormous distances, it also pushes the ice into warmer latitudes, where melting becomes more likely during summer.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

It reproduces quickly during the warmer summer months and, with warming seas, there are fears it could spread further.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

If it was warmer, I could take Charlie to the park that we always pass on the way back from the library.

From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist

The event also helped make 1998 the warmest year on record at the time.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Tuesday looks set to be the warmest day of the period and could reach 21C for some.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The rest of this year would need to be significantly cooler than average to not beat 2025 which is currently the UK's warmest on record.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

The mountains and far interior could see an additional 3 to 6 degrees of warming Wednesday, and there’s a 40% chance the warmest valleys could reach triple digits Friday or Saturday, according to the forecast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Stupid, because even though it's the warmest part of the day and it's sunny, the temperature's only about 42 degrees.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

Accurately tracking ice sheet elevation is particularly important as the planet warms.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

El Niño is a climate pattern that periodically warms the Pacific Ocean.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

QB Grady Long of La Serna warms up like a pitcher with long toss throwing a football 50 yards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Now, as climate change warms the sea and melts that ice, they have adapted.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Padva greets them with the practiced disinterest she reserves for pretty young things, but warms when they enthusiastically compliment her hair and jewels and dress.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

She questioned Nathan's initial decision to move to Russia but warmed to the idea because the couple lived "miles from any fighting".

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Heat from the magma warmed sediments packed with organic material.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

I tossed it with store-bought ravioli and shredded rotisserie chicken warmed in olive oil, put peas on the side, and waited for the part where I needed to fix something.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

In Burma, the revered revolutionary figure Aung San warmed to Imperial Japan because it had helped create the Burma Independence Army.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Phoebe looked up at the sky as she warmed her hands on her mug.

From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis

Yet Adura's updated environmental impact assessment, ordered by the Court of Session, says that emissions from Jackdaw would "not materially influence" global warming.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, but microorganisms living in the soil can break it down before it builds up in the air.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

In warming to his topic in somewhat un-Trump-like fashion, he declared, twice, that it was a “stupid question.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The warming phase of a natural climate cycle, El Nino events temporarily elevate global temperatures, altering cloud and wind patterns, and raise the risk of damaging weather.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

“That’s a hell of a thing, isn’t it? How bad is it when you’re hoping global warming will save your dad’s job?”

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

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